IdeaLink 🚀

A global platform connecting startup founders with service providers, co-founders, and talent — across borders, in real time.

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What is IdeaLink?

IdeaLink is a full-stack web application that allows startup founders to post what their startup needs (team members, services, workspace) and service providers to offer their skills or resources. Once connected, users can chat in real time and jump into a video call — all inside the platform.

Built to solve a real problem: A startup founder in India can find a marketing partner in the US, a logistics provider in UAE, or a developer in Europe — all verified, all in one place.

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Features

• Authentication — Secure register and login with JWT (JSON Web Token)
• Role Selection — Choose your role during onboarding: Startup Founder, Service Provider, or Both
• Identity Verification — Upload a government ID (passport, national ID, driver's license) during onboarding for trust and credibility
• Post Ideas — Post what your startup needs or what you offer, with category and skill tags
• Global Feed — Browse posts filtered by category, country, and skills needed
• Connect System — Send, accept, or decline connection requests
• Real-Time Chat — Chat with connections via WebSockets (Socket.io)
• Video Calls — Peer-to-peer video calls using WebRTC (RTCPeerConnection + STUN)
• Social Links — Add GitHub, LinkedIn, Instagram, X, or portfolio links to your profile
• Public/Private Profile — Your own profile (editable) and public profiles (read-only)
• Login Wall — Feed requires authentication; landing page is public

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Tech Stack

Backend

Technology	Purpose
Node.js	Runtime environment
Express.js	Web framework and routing
MongoDB + Mongoose	Database and ODM
JWT (jsonwebtoken)	Authentication tokens
bcryptjs	Password hashing
Socket.io	Real-time WebSocket communication
Multer	File uploads (government ID documents)
dotenv	Environment variable management

Frontend

Technology	Purpose
React (Vite)	UI framework
React Router DOM	Client-side routing
Axios	HTTP requests to backend API
Socket.io-client	Real-time chat connection
WebRTC (RTCPeerConnection)	Peer-to-peer video calls
Context API	Global auth state management

Infrastructure

Service	Purpose
MongoDB Atlas	Cloud database
Google STUN Server	ICE candidate discovery for WebRTC

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Architecture

This project follows MVC + Service Layer architecture on the backend.

Request → Route → Controller → Service → Model → Database
                     ↓
                 Response

• Routes — Map URLs to controller functions
• Controllers — Receive requests, send responses (thin layer)
• Services — All business logic lives here (validation, rules, transformations)
• Models — MongoDB schemas and database interaction only

This separation means changing business logic never requires touching the HTTP layer, and vice versa.

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Project Structure

idealink/
├── backend/
│   ├── controllers/
│   │   ├── authController.js
│   │   ├── ideaController.js
│   │   └── connectionController.js
│   ├── services/
│   │   ├── authService.js
│   │   ├── ideaService.js
│   │   └── connectionService.js
│   ├── models/
│   │   ├── User.js
│   │   ├── Idea.js
│   │   ├── Connection.js
│   │   └── Message.js
│   ├── routes/
│   │   ├── authRoutes.js
│   │   ├── ideaRoutes.js
│   │   └── connectionRoutes.js
│   ├── middleware/
│   │   ├── authMiddleware.js
│   │   └── upload.js
│   ├── uploads/
│   ├── .env
│   └── server.js
│
└── frontend/
    └── src/
        ├── api/
        │   └── axios.js
        ├── context/
        │   └── AuthContext.jsx
        ├── pages/
        │   ├── Home.jsx
        │   ├── Login.jsx
        │   ├── Register.jsx
        │   ├── Onboarding.jsx
        │   ├── Feed.jsx
        │   ├── PostIdea.jsx
        │   ├── Profile.jsx
        │   ├── Connections.jsx
        │   ├── Chat.jsx
        │   └── HowItWorks.jsx
        ├── components/
        │   ├── Navbar.jsx
        │   ├── IdeaCard.jsx
        │   └── ProtectedRoute.jsx
        └── App.jsx

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How Real-Time Works

Chat (Socket.io)

1. User opens a chat page → connects to Socket.io server
2. Both users emit join_room with the connection ID → server places them in a Socket.io room
3. User sends message → server saves it to MongoDB, broadcasts it to everyone in the room
4. Other user receives the message instantly via receive_message event

Video Call (WebRTC)

1. Caller clicks "Video Call" → accesses camera/mic via getUserMedia
2. Creates RTCPeerConnection with Google STUN server for NAT traversal
3. Generates an offer (SDP) → sends to other user via Socket.io signaling
4. Other user receives offer → generates an answer → sends back
5. ICE candidates exchanged via Socket.io → WebRTC finds the best network path
6. Direct peer-to-peer video/audio stream established (server not involved)

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API Endpoints

Auth

Method	Endpoint	Auth	Description
POST	/api/auth/register	No	Create account
POST	/api/auth/login	No	Login and get token
GET	/api/auth/me	Yes	Get own profile
PUT	/api/auth/me	Yes	Update profile
PATCH	/api/auth/me/role	Yes	Update role
PATCH	/api/auth/me/social	Yes	Update a social link
POST	/api/auth/me/verify	Yes	Submit government ID
GET	/api/auth/user/:id	No	Get public profile

Ideas

Method	Endpoint	Auth	Description
GET	/api/ideas	No	Get all ideas (filterable)
GET	/api/ideas/:id	No	Get single idea
POST	/api/ideas	Yes	Create idea
PUT	/api/ideas/:id	Yes	Update idea (owner only)
DELETE	/api/ideas/:id	Yes	Delete idea (owner only)

Connections

Method	Endpoint	Auth	Description
POST	/api/connections/request	Yes	Send connection request
PUT	/api/connections/request/:id	Yes	Accept or decline request
GET	/api/connections/mine	Yes	Get accepted connections
GET	/api/connections/requests	Yes	Get pending incoming requests
GET	/api/connections/:id/messages	Yes	Get chat history

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Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js v18+
• MongoDB Atlas account (or local MongoDB)
• Git

Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/moreinn/idealink.git
cd idealink

Backend setup

cd backend
npm install

Create a .env file in the backend folder:

MONGO_URI=your_mongodb_connection_string
JWT_SECRET=your_secret_key_here
PORT=5000

Start the backend:

npm run dev

Server runs on http://localhost:5000

Frontend setup

cd frontend
npm install

Create a .env file in the frontend folder:

VITE_BACKEND_URL=http://localhost:5000

Start the frontend:

npm run dev

App runs on http://localhost:5173

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Socket.io Events

Event	Direction	Description
join_room	Client → Server	Join a chat room
send_message	Client → Server	Send a chat message
receive_message	Server → Client	Receive a chat message
call_user	Client → Server	Send WebRTC offer
incoming_call	Server → Client	Receive WebRTC offer
accept_call	Client → Server	Send WebRTC answer
call_accepted	Server → Client	Receive WebRTC answer
ice_candidate	Both	Exchange ICE candidates
end_call	Client → Server	End the call
call_ended	Server → Client	Notify other user call ended

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Key Concepts Used

• JWT Authentication — Stateless auth using signed tokens, no server-side sessions
• Password Hashing — bcrypt with salt rounds, passwords never stored in plain text
• MVC + Service Layer — Clean separation between routing, logic, and data
• WebSockets — Persistent connections for real-time bidirectional communication
• WebRTC — Browser-native peer-to-peer media streaming
• ICE/STUN — Network traversal for WebRTC across different networks
• Multer — Multipart form data handling for file uploads
• Mongoose Populate — MongoDB document references resolved at query time
• Protected Routes — Frontend + backend route guards using JWT middleware
• Context API — React global state without external state libraries

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Author

Built by Moinuddin Shaikh

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